A Shift in Priorities
by Maintenant
Summary: Sanji sighed. The shift really was obvious, now that he thought about it. Somehow, along the way, without their noticing, their main objectives had changed. And it was all for him. Nakamaship. Loyalty.
1. Loyalty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece.

Sanji wasn't stupid, despite what others may think due to his flirtatious and overly amorous behavior (it was perfectly fine to admire beauty, and women were beautiful. How could one not be enamored?)

He had noticed the shift.

There had been hints before arriving at this level, of course. Hints from the start. From the very beginning, after all, none of them could resist _him_. When he smiled that full smile that took up half of his face, and asked them to join him, none of them could refuse. How could they? He saved them, each and every one of them, provided them with a home and a family to return to. He had shown them that anything was possible, no matter how unlikely it may seem. He called them _nakama_.

Of course, they all had other reasons for joining, at first.

Zoro wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman.

Nami wanted to draw a map of the entire world.

Usopp wanted to become a brave warrior of the sea.

Chopper wanted to become a doctor that can cure any disease.

Robin wanted to find the True History.

Franky wanted to create and travel with a dream ship.

Brooke wanted to return to Laboon.

Sanji wanted to find All Blue.

And so they sailed. The hints only became more obvious as time passed. How they followed him unquestioningly into increasingly perilous situations, nearly losing their lives, along with any hope of achieving their dreams, several times. How, while most would be thankful to be away from the danger, they wished they were present to storm the gates of Hell itself with him, and were jealous of the ones who had the opportunity. How, when they heard his brother was murdered before his eyes, they were overwhelmed by a white-hot fury and each contemplated how to kill Akainu slowly and painfully.

How, in the 2 years they didn't see each other, their main concern was getting stronger for _him._ To not disappoint him _._ To support him. To be worthy of him.

They got mad when someone dismissed him. They got brutal when someone insulted him. They got murderous when someone dared to hurt him.

They did not take the implication that they were disloyal well.

Brooke was offered stardom. If he abandoned the Straw Hats, they said, if he abandoned his captain, then they would make him into a star the likes of which had never been seen before. They promised money, fame, women who were willing to flash their panties. Brooke yo-ho-ho-hoed. They had nightmares of laughing skeletons and demon kings for the rest of their lives.

Franky was offered Dr. Vegapunk's research notes if he told the marines where his captain was planning on heading next. Only half of them made it back to the base. Those who did developed an acute fear of _Cola_.

The World Government promised Robin that they would pardon all of her crimes if she handed over her captain's head. They even promised to give her a clue as to the whereabouts of the Rio Poneglypgh _._ They found the head of the messenger on their doorstep the next day.

Chopper was invited to a pirate crew of doctors. They asked him to poison his captain, and in compensation they would accept him into their crew and help him conduct research to find the cures for various diseases. From that day on, the members of the doctor crew would swear that the Straw Hats harbored a pet monster that mauled most of its enemies and crushed the rest.

Having heard that there was conflict in the past (all the world followed the Straw Hat crew's actions closely, partly incredulous, partly fearful, mostly awed), an enemy pirate crew asked Usopp to provide information on his captain. Usopp, who had been cowering in fear at the sight of the entire crew of tough-looking men surrounding him, stopped trembling once he heard the crew's proposition. He readied his slingshot. The pirates were blinded for life.

There was a noble who had heard of Nami's deceptive ways and told her he'd pay her a small fortune if she helped him capture her captain. Nami smiled prettily. The next day, the noble disappeared, never to be heard from again. His fortune, however, mysteriously appeared aboard the Sunny the same day.

Zoro was offered a place in one of the strongest pirate crews on the Grand Line. The captain proclaimed he'd find the shortest way for him to become the world's strongest swordsman, and promised a series of sparring partners available in his 500-man crew. Zoro laughed, and proceeded to give the presumptuous captain a large scar for his audacity. The scar possessed an eerie resemblance to a skull wearing a straw hat.

Thinking about these instances, Sanji couldn't help but think they each deserved it. Implying that the Straw Hats were disloyal was the gravest insult they could give. It required punishment.

Sanji sighed. The shift really was obvious, now that he thought about it. Somehow, along the way, without their noticing, their main objectives changed. He laughed. It seemed so long ago that his priority was finding All Blue. He still wanted to, of course. It was his dream, after all. But nothing compared to the fervent desire to continue standing proudly by _him_.

They still followed their dreams- that had not changed. Their motives just shifted. No longer did they do it solely for themselves. Now, they pursued it with the acute knowledge that _he_ deserved only the best as his crew. They did it for _him_. It would always be for _him_.

 _He_ deserved the world's greatest swordsman, a navigator who mapped the world, a brave warrior of the sea, a cook who found the legendary ocean, a doctor with cures for all the diseases in the world, an archaeologist with knowledge of the _True History,_ a shipwright who built and rode the greatest ship, a musician who fulfilled his promise.

They would become those things to stand by him.

After all, Luffy deserved only the best.

He was the future Pirate King.


	2. On Peacocks and Swords

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece.

* * *

Zoro couldn't believe it. The pirate captain, whose name he had already forgotten (He knew he should remember it. It was one of the more powerful crews on the Grand Line, after all. Nami would be mad at him for not remembering. The annoying woman would yell at him when he got back), was _still_ waxing poetic about himself and his crew.

Two days ago, Zoro had received a letter asking him to be at a bar called "The Laughing Hippocamp" in two days. This wasn't the first time such a thing happened. After all, Luffy had the troublesome habit of making the strangest allies (honestly, they went from mafia men to fishmen to even marines. Luffy's charisma was getting ridiculous), and these would often ask to meet with one of the crew in order to relay information they had heard, and thought would help the Straw Hat captain. Interestingly enough, the letters were never addressed for the captain. Robin had explained that this was probably because they expected Luffy to be too busy (or too important) to bother doing something so minor as to meet up with a messenger. Which was pretty funny, since Luffy would often whine about how he wasn't invited to the "mystery-meeting." So Zoro had agreed, and lo and behold, this morning he had headed to the bar. After taking a few detours (he was not lost, damnit!), he finally arrived at the Laughing Hippocamp. Instead of finding an ally informant, however, he found a (never-endingly) boastful captain.

The captain proclaimed that he had a crew of 500 men, and should Zoro join, he'd be able to order around all of them as the first mate. The captain went on to talk about how he had several skilled swordsmen in his crew, and how by joining Zoro would have several people to spar with, getting him closer to his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman. The captain continued to talk about how much money he had, and how many good swords Zoro could buy with said money. Zoro zoned out for the rest, the sound of the annoying captain's voice becoming nothing more than background noise. He was a StrawHat. He was very good at ignoring loud noises. He could sleep through an explosion – had slept through explosions.

The captain in front of him was tall, and broad of shoulder. He would've looked at home in the shadier parts of the city, if it weren't for the fact he was wearing colorful and expensive clothes. He knew the blue coat was from some famous store – Nami had been there once and robbed them blind, bringing home a bunch of different clothes. He could faintly recall her giving this same cloak to Chopper. He remembered because Usopp and the reindeer spent a solid three hours pretending Chopper was a knight (and Usopp the knight's lord. Luffy later joined and decided he'd be king, of course.).

Zoro glanced at the still blabbering captain in front of him again. He looked like a peacock, Zoro thought. All proud with a puffed up chest and unnecessarily expensive and colorful clothes, not that any member of the Straw Hats could judge another for being too colorful. Zoro decided he'd refer to him as the Peacock from now on, it'd save the confusion (He idly wondered if Luffy was rubbing off on him too much. This was exactly the kind of thing he'd do).

The peacock was _still_ talking. Zoro leaned against the wall and prepared to take a light nap. Maybe he'd fight some of the crew later. The Peacock did say there were some pretty good swordsmen, after all. At that moment, however, he tuned back in to what Peacock-guy was saying.

"–and I am more powerful than your young captain. My ambition to become Pirate King is more than just a dream. You'd profit much more from following me than that naïve fool–" The peacock was interrupted by a loud laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ah, the peacock was easily offended. Zoro was sure the tone of voice was supposed to be threatening, but he had faced zombies, angels, and an _angry_ _Nami._

The Straw Hat swordsman looked at the captain as though he were nothing more than an insect stuck to the sole of his shoe. This peacock proclaimed to be more powerful than Luffy (Zoro knew better. None were more powerful than his captain), proclaimed to be the future Pirate King (he knew who the next Pirate King would be. He was already his first mate), and dared to insinuate that Zoro would abandon his crew (as if _any_ Straw Hat would even consider the notion). Zoro couldn't just let these insults slide.

"The only reason you're still alive is because you have amused me". Zoro stopped to chuckle some more. "You? More powerful than _him?_ " And suddenly Zoro's entire demeanor changed. Instead of the laid-back man that the peacock had been trying to recruit for the last hour, all of a sudden the captain was faced with a cold _killer_.

In spite of the first mate's overwhelming presence, the peacock still managed to stutter out an answer. "I- I have a bigger crew! I have 500 men who work under me!"

Zoro laughed again. What a deluded peacock. No wonder the species was so rare- too stupid to survive. "Each member of the Straw Hats is worth at least 100 of your men. Our captain is worth more than your entire crew put together," the swordsman slowly closed the distance between the peacock and himself. Once he was less than a foot away from the paralyzed captain, he whispered, "including you".

Zoro could've continued. He could've told stories of how Luffy had defied a man who called himself God and won. How he had saved kingdoms from destruction. How he had explored the sky and the depths of the sea. How he managed to convert friends and enemies alike into devoted believers.

Zoro was a man of few words, however, and he certainly wasn't going to waste his breath on a peacock.

"For amusing me, I won't kill you. But I can't ignore your insults". The swordsman slowly drew one blade. He'd only need one to deal with this guy. Most of his influence must've come from the size of his crew. Similar to Don Krieg. He certainly didn't seem impressive.

"But- but I never insulted you! I would never- I've been complimenting you! I want you to join my crew!"

"Oh but you have. You implied I'd betray my captain". Zoro's eyes turned steely. "That's a grave insult to any StrawHat. And to think you'd have the audacity to say it to the first mate."

Zoro drew his blade and pointed it at the peacock's throat. The peacock stood frozen, sweating, unable to move or say anything in his defense. Pathetic.

"Your biggest mistake, however, was insulting my captain."

And with that, Zoro slashed down, ripping the peacock's designer blue coat and leaving a large wound on the man's chest.

The peacock's crewmates rushed to their captain's aid, but none were brave enough to stop Zoro as he leisurely walked out of the bar. Honestly, the cretins should be happy he didn't kill the captain. Instead, he only left a (admittedly large) scar, eerily reminiscent of a skull with a straw hat.

When he got back to the Thousand Sunny, the whole crew, except their captain who had gone into the city to explore with, dragging a reluctant Law behind him, looked up.

Usopp was the first to say something. "EHHHHH- Zoro! You've got blood on your shoes!" The sniper really did have good eyes.

The usual noise accompanied the announcement.

"WHATTTT? Zoro, how many times have I told you, you can't just run around slashing at whoever you want-"

"Oh. Swordsman-san has been busy."

"Zoro! Are you okay? I can never tell! You could be dying and still act the same-

"SUUUUUUUPPPEEER!"

"Yohohoho! Zoro-san is as cool as always-"

Zoro ignored the loud noises and flopped down on the green lawn. He was gonna take a nap after this. As explanation for his actions, he simply stated,

"He insulted me."

The crew quieted down. Zoro saw understanding in their eyes.

 _He deserved it,_ they thought. After all, no Straw Hat truly react to normal insults. The only insults they reacted to nowadays were insults to their captain, or insults implying anything other than perfect loyalty towards their captain.

Neither were acceptable.

The pirate was lucky he escaped with his life.


	3. On Gifts and Heads

**Disclaimer** : I do not own One Piece

 **A/N** : Being very new to writing, I'm not really sure what the policy is for answering reviewers. I think some do and some don't… I wish there was a guide. Nah, I'd probably be too lazy to read it. Anyways, so I just answered everyone.

* * *

Robin walked through the city, a serene smile on her face.

She loved this. Exploring new places, discovering new cultures. Why, the people from this city worshipped a species of bird, called dodos, that were fat, rather unappealing, and couldn't fly, instead wobbling inelegantly. They believed their island was produced from the egg of the very first dodo, and all the other dodos were its subsequent eggs, brothers and sisters of their island. Fascinating.

And despite all her wandering, she still had a place to go back home to. She sometimes still marveled at that fact, wondering how it was true and whether she deserved this, but then a loud yell or small explosion would jolt her out of her thoughts, and she'd stop questioning and simply bask in the feeling of happiness.

Robin stopped as something caught her eye. It was a small shop, packed away between two much larger stores. At the window, she noticed a small bauble that seemed to be a bizarre combination of a robot, alligator, and a monster shark. It was a rather ugly thing, but perhaps Luffy would like it? If nothing else, she was sure Chopper would appreciate it.

She entered the store and purchased it, along with a bracelet she had found for Nami.

As she continued her merry walk through the streets of the new city, she heard a voice coming from her right.

"Nico Robin".

The voice was coming from a dark alley, hidden from the rest of the world. She could hardly make out the speaker's outline, but she got the general impression of a man. Honestly, a voice from an alley? How terribly cliché.

"Bounty of 80,000,000 beli"

Yes, yes. She was perfectly aware of that, thank you. She did wish the man would just get on with it. She still had much to explore and wanted to get back to the ship for dinner. Although watching Sanji be distressed over her absence was alwaysrather entertaining.

"It could all be gone, you know?"

Well, she wouldn't be a very good pirate then, would she? Luffy would be sad for her, probably consider it some great loss and shoot her pitying looks. No, she quite liked her bounty. She prepared herself to walk away from this shady alley-man, when she heard something that made her stop.

"All we need is your captain's head".

Surely… _Surely_ , he could not have implied what she thought he did. She must have misheard. No one was quite so idiotic.

"The World Government might even give you a clue as to where the Rio Poneglyph is".

It seemed she had overestimated the World Government's collective intelligence. If they thought _any_ member of the Strawhats would surrender their captain, for _any_ reason, then they obviously lacked any semblance of sense.

"This is in exchange of Luffy's… death?"

The very sentence tasted like ash on he tongue. It reeked of blasphemy. But she had to be sure.

"Alive and shackled would be preferable. The World Government has plans for him. But killing him and delivering his head as proof would be acceptable as well."

And so Robin felt an emotion she hardly ever felt nowadays. She was so used to feeling joy, laughter, and love, that she took a few seconds before placing it.

 _Ah… I am furious._

She slowly walked towards the alley. "And what makes you think I would ever do such a thing, officer?" Her tone was still as polite and pleasant as ever, but those who knew her would have been able to detect the cold steel behind her voice.

"The World Government has offered you a clean slate, as well as a hint for you to fulfill your lifelong dream. You should be honored. All that is required is one person's death. This is as good a deal as you'll ever get."

"Oh? You do not think I am loyal to my captain?"

To this, the officer scoffed. "Do not play games, Nico Robin. We have been following you since your beginning. You join an organization and then betray them in the end for your own goals. This is no different."

No different? _No different?_ This was a world of difference. _Luffy_ was so completely different from everyone else, from all those other weak and deluded mortals that populated the Earth. Luffy was in a class of his own.

In the future, she was sure people would agree with her (many already did), but for perhaps the wrong reasons. They would say he was unlike anyone else because he had defeated zombies, shichibukai, and wannabe gods. Because he fearlessly punched a World Noble in the face. Because he had explored the heights of the sky and the depths of the sea.

But Robin knew that those were not what set him apart. What set him apart was how he associated with humans and mermen alike, with no discrimination. How he'd sacrifice everything for a friend. How a careless word from him could stop the world on its axis, and make it spin in the opposite direction.

He had provided her with a home. He believed in her. He trusted her. And she would do everything in her power to be worthy of his trust.

This was a man she would follow until her death.

She looked back at the officer. He was wearing a smug look on his face, as though she had already decided to betray her captain. Rage stirred inside her. This insult would not be borne.

How _dare_ the World Government imply she would betray him?

* * *

When she got back to the Thousand Sunny, Sanji was dancing around despairingly. He was lamenting about how he hadn't seen her for more than a few hours, calling her a goddess and whatnot. She couldn't repress a chuckle.

At the sound, the crew turned around to see her.

"Robiiiiiiinnnnnn-swaaaaannnnn"

"SUUUUPER! Everyone is here now!"

"Yohoho! Can I see your panties?"

"Robin! Robin! You won't believe what I found today!"

"We both found it Chopper! It all started when I bravely-"

"Robin, thank God you're back. I need to have at least one sane person on this ship-"

"Hn. Took you long enough."

A smile made its way to her face. She was still getting used to all the bubbly feelings such a warm welcome evoked. There were times she felt so giddy she feared she might start giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Welcome back, Robin"

She turned, and there was her captain. He wore one of his rare calm, mature expressions on his face. It made him look older, wiser. He was the reason she had a home to come back to. Warmth enveloped her.

"It's good to be back, captain."

Like a switch had flipped, he was back to his usual self. He grinned and started laughing, "Shishishishi".

"I got something for you". She adored how his eyes lighted up, like a child on Christmas morning. She fished around in her bag, finding the strange robot-alligator-monster shark hybrid. She noticed a drop of blood on it. Discretely, she wiped it away. Turning to look at Luffy again, she showed him the bauble.

Of course, at the mention of potential presents, Usopp and Chopper had joined him. Upon seeing the ugly thing, all three developed sparkles in their eyes, releasing a loud "OOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

"It's so cooooool!" Luffy exclaimed. Luffy ran off to admire the bauble a bit more along with Usopp and Chopper. She noticed Franky heading their way.

She chuckled. It always filled her with a sense of accomplishment when she managed to make her captain happy with these small things.

Later in the night, when most of the Straw hats had retreated to their beds, she sat next to Zoro.

"Where were you?" _Brusque as always_ , she couldn't help thinking.

"Ah, just taking care of a small fly."

At his questioning look, she smiled.

"It insulted me".

She saw sudden understanding in his eyes. No other words were needed. He knew.

An insult to their captain, or an insinuation that Robin was not perfectly loyal. Both deserving of retribution.

* * *

The next day, The World Government received a package. It was wrapped in a tasteful purple. The bow was a lovely shade of creamy white. Simple, but elegant. Obviously, the sender had class.

When one of the workers there opened the present, however, he screamed. For inside the pretty package lay the decapitated head of one of their officers.

Next to it was note. On the note, there was the Straw Hat insignia. At the bottom, in beautiful penmanship, were the words:

 _It is not quite the head you asked for, but I hope you will be satisfied. It is the only one you shall ever receive from a Straw Hat._

 _Love,_

 _Nico Robin (Archeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates)_


	4. On Cuteness and Monsters

**Disclaimer** : I do not own One Piece.

 **A/N:** A few people wanted to see Chopper, so here he is! I hope I haven't made him OC or anything of the like. Enjoy!

* * *

An adorable talking reindeer was cheerfully walking through the forest, gathering medicinal herbs. He was humming Brook's latest song in his head while moving his head along with the melody. He sported a large, heartwarming smile that would have made anyone who saw it hard-pressed to resist the urge to "AWWWW".

As it so happened, a group of pirates sporting white lab coats and stethoscopes were in the vicinity, and were unable to resist the urge. They collectively "AWWW"ed at the sight.

Upon hearing this sound of mass contentment when confronted with the absurdly cute, Chopper looked up to the source.

And promptly hid behind a tree.

"Wha– What do y-you want?"

Of course, only half of Chopper's head was actually hidden by the tree. The rest of his body was clearly visible to the people he was attempting to hide from. This act was also inhumanly adorable, and another collective "AWWW" broke through the ranks. Eventually, though, one of the white lab coat-wearing men stepped forward, presumably the leader, and spoke.

"We've been following you"

Chopper began to sweat profusely. His pupils dilated and he started to vaguely tremble. _They've been following me? But why? What do they want? Oh, no! They're going to kidnap me and then perform weird experiments on me and then kill me and then skin me and then WEAR MY FUR AS CLOTHES AND THEN SELL IT AND THEN BECOME RICH BY SELLING CLOTHES MADE FROM MY FUR AND THEN NAMI IS GOING TO GET MAD SHE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE! I'M GONNA DIEEEEEE! SOMEBODY SAVE MEEEE! LUFFFYYYYYYY!_

Noticing the small reindeer's apparent distress, the leader was quick to reassure him.

"Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you".

Chopper, who was getting ready to flee as fast as humanly (or reindeerly) possible, paused. _Eh?_

"Actually, we want to help you."

Chopper maintained his comically confused expression, still frozen in place.

"We think you're a great doctor."

This elicited a reaction. "Tha- That doesn't make me happy you idiot~"

The man smiled and continued, "And we've heard of your dream to find a cure for every disease in the world".

This made Chopper pause, capturing his attention. Naïve and childlike he may be, but he was serious about his dream. He wouldn't be a StrawHat if he weren't. Could these people help him achieve it?

"We're the CPR Pirates – a group of pirate doctors. And we will help you achieve your dream".

Chopper gaped. He had heard of the CPR Pirates, of course. They were famous, especially amongst medical circles. They had already found the cure to four diseases that were previously declared incurable in the past 10 years. It was very impressive.

It was said that they had a collection of every type of bacteria that existed, as well as different poisons that were used to find antidotes. They had the best equipment money could buy, and were often the pioneers of new medical theories and methods. Chopper was a huuuuge fan of theirs!

These amazing doctors wanted to help _him?_ Sure, Chopper himself had found a few cures for diseases, most notably in the two years he spent apart from the rest of the crew, training and experimenting. In fact, he had found six cures in those two years alone. But he would have _never_ thought that such cool doctors would come looking for him to help him. He was so happy!

"In exchange, we only ask for one thing."

Anything! He'd even give them the super-ultra-mega-awesomely-cool miniature robot Franky had made for him. Although he'd definitely cry. It was a super-ultra-mega-awesomely-cool miniature robot Franky made for him, after all. No one could blame him for crying.

"We ask that you poison your captain. Once you've brought his body to us, then you can be part of our crew and we'd help you find cures to ALL the world's diseases! You'll be famous around the world as the doctor who proved no disease was incurable! And we'd be there every step of the way. Together, we can save thousands- no, millions of people and earn piles of money! We'll be rich, famous, and loved by all.

"If you do this one thing for us, Chopper, then that future could be ours."

Chopper stood frozen in front of the CPR Pirates. Poison… Luffy? Poison Luffy with… happiness, maybe? Or poison Luffy with joy? Poison Luffy with the insatiable urge to hug Chopper? They couldn't possibly mean poison Luffy… so that Luffy _died_ , could they? No, no way! There was no way these super-cool doctors would want him to poison his captain, his nakama, his family… was there?

But they did say to bring Luffy's _body_ to them, not Luffy himself. That would mean that Luffy's soul, what made Luffy, Luffy, would be gone.

But- But maybe they just spoke funny. Chopper had to be sure.

"P-poison him with what?"

"Well, we'll let you choose, we don't have a particular preference. I'd personally recommend hemlock, or aconite, or even belladonna. But if you have arsenic, you should probably use that. It's absolutely undetectable. The others won't realize a thing until you've safely arrived on our ship".

 _Hemlock, aconite, belladonna, arsenic… these are all lethal poisons. If I give them to Luffy, he'll_ die!

Chopper's eyes were shadowed, and his whole body started trembling.

Taking Chopper's question of what poison to use as a confirmation that he'd do it, the leader continued, "That idiot captain of yours probably doesn't even truly appreciate your ability as a doctor, does he?" The leader shook his head in apparent sympathy and gave Chopper a look full of pity.

"But don't worry, all of us here recognize your skills. And once you're part of the CPR Pirates, we'd all treat you as a human. I'm sure you're worried about that, but you have nothing to fear! No one will treat you as a monster, not like your StrawHat captain that uses you as a pet monster weapon".

The shadows hiding Chopper's eyes from view became even more pronounced. The reindeer was as still as a statue, but unlike the paralyzation caused by fear he was in previously, Chopper was now still in an effort to contain his emotions. Only his mouth moved as he mumbled something.

"Sorry, Chopper-kun, could you repeat that? I couldn't hear".

Chopper suddenly looked up, illuminating his eyes, and the entire crew of the CPR Pirates took a step back from the sheer fury in his glare.

"I said, Luffy doesn't see me as a monster! I'm his nakama! He's always supported me and he's given me a family and a home helped me with my dream and I'll NEVER EVER _EVER_ BETRAY HIM! I DON'T CARE IF OTHERS THINK I'M A MONSTER! I'M _FINE_ WITH BEING A MONSTER, AS LONG AS I'M A MONSTER THAN CAN HELP LUFFY!"

By the time he was done shouting, Chopper was panting. The CPR Pirates in front of him were stunned that such an adorable ball of fluff could use such a hateful, venomous tone.

More quietly, now, Chopper calmly asked, hard gaze still pinning the pirate doctors in place, "How _dare_ you ask me to betray Luffy? He's my captain, and I'm a member of the StrawHat Pirates! I'll stay loyally by Luffy side until the end! As a monster or not!"

The next thing the pirates heard was the sound of something crunching and –

"Rumble Ball".

Those were the most terrifying words they had ever heard.

* * *

Upon arriving back at the ship, the first thing Chopper did was hug Luffy.

And then he proceeded to hug Robin, Usopp, Nami, Sanji, Franky, Brook, and even Zoro.

The whole affair was adorable. Really, it made one wonder how the StrawHats had never overdosed on cuteness. It was one of life's mysteries, like how Brook blushed even though he didn't have any blood that could rush to his cheeks. Or cheeks that blood could rush to. Or vocal cords to speak with. Or eye glands to cry from.

Robin was the first to ask, "And what was that for, Chopper-kun?"

Chopper, arms wrapped around Robin's legs, mumbled, "I found some bad men in the forest. They insulted me".

Upon hearing this, the entire crew's gaze hardened, except for Luffy who was looking for meat in the kitchen.

Robin picked Chopper up and held him in her arms, hugging him tightly to her chest.

"Well, you're home now. Everyone here believes in you. Luffy would never doubt you." She smiled at him warmly. "Come, I think Usopp has a new story to tell".

"YOSH!" Usopp began, "It all started when I was sailing across the ocean with nothing but a flying robot-beetle and a seven-tentacled octopus with me- "

Chopper quickly ran towards Usopp, stars in his eyes.

"UOOOOOHH! And then what happened?!"

Discreetly, the other crewmembers looked at each other. The people that questioned Chopper's loyalty to Luffy, making Chopper feel bad and insecure, would be lucky if they never saw a StrawHat again. Very lucky.

* * *

When the CPR Pirates left the island, the world was shocked to find the state they were in.

They avoided anything cute, eyeing children, puppies, and stuffed animals with panicked expressions, as though these things might suddenly jump at them and eat them. There was one CPR Pirate who, while enjoying himself at a fair, saw a raccoon stuffed animal and had a mental breakdown then and there. It took the rest of the CPR pirates hours to get the pirate to stop sobbing and walk back to the ship, especially since, upon seeing the reindeer stuffed animal in question, four more CPR pirates fell to the ground, trembling and crying.

To this day, the CPR pirates will swear upon the graves of their mothers that the StrawHat Pirates harbor a pet monster that mauls most of his enemies and crushes the rest.

They will also tell others to never, _ever_ question the loyalty the StrawHats have for their captain.

* * *

A/N: Be sure to write reviews with your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. And tell me who you want to see next!


	5. On Gold and Champagne

**Disclaimer** : I do not own One Piece.

 **A/N:** A few of you wanted Nami next, so here she is! Enjoy!

* * *

Nami was relaxing in a luxury café, sipping her fruity drink, various colorful shopping bags arranged near her feet, and piled up on the chair next to her.

The other customers and waiters could only stare at the sheer number of shopping bags. They were even more shocked when they noticed that the bags were from various high-end shops that took an average person a year's worth of savings to merely step inside.

They would have been completely floored – and more than a little jealous – had they known that most of what she bought was less than 20% of the original price out of sheer bargaining skill.

Nami called Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji monsters but she was fairly monstrous in her own way.

As she surveyed all of her purchases, smirk on her face like the cat that got the canary _and_ the cream, she idly thought, _Perhaps I should've brought Zoro or Sanji along to have them carry the shopping bags. They make good pack mules. Sanji wouldn't have minded._

Suddenly, Nami saw movement from the corner of her eye. Before the 2 year training trip, she would have remained oblivious, but now she was keenly aware of her surroundings, and so she was not surprised when a man walked towards her.

"May I buy the beautiful lady a drink?"

Said beautiful lady cast the man an assessing look. He appeared to be in his late 50s, with greying short hair and brown eyes. The man left several openings for attack in his posture, and from what she could see lacked any sort of muscle. He had probably never fought a day in his life. _Not a threat, then._ He wore an elaborate tux with white stripes made of the finest material, currently the height of fashion amongst the aristocracy in the island – coupled with black dress shoes so shiny she could see her reflection in them. On his wrist was a gold watch that was doubtlessly worth millions. He was holding a cane, as a fashion statement and not out of need, that had an intricate snake-like design, also made out of gold.

The man was obviously loaded.

Nami cast her best innocent yet sultry smile at the old man, batting her eyelashes and sticking out her prominent chest in a way that drew attention to it.

"Of course", she languished. The sweetness of her tone gave many a customer cavities.

The man sat down in the chair in front of her. Immediately, a waiter appeared. _The service really is different at luxury restaurants._

As she continued to sip her fruity drink, Nami watched the man order a bottle of the most expensive champagne they had. It was rumored that the champagne was made with a phoenix's feather, mermaids' tears of laughter, and a sunset-colored pearl that could only be harvested once every 20 years. It was superbly pricy.

She had a feeling she and the man were going to get along famously.

They made idle chitchat for a while. Nami learned that this was the Duke of Berthog, the richest noble on the island. If he wanted to, he could buy it 3 times over (which made Nami drool, as the island had a flourishing economy and was therefore _very_ expensive). All the while, Nami was thinking of ways to get this wonderfully rich old man to buy her more things. Some of the men she lead around got mad when she didn't "pay them back", so to speak, but she easily got rid of those. This man only looked like he wanted to be in the company of a pretty girl, though.

Eventually, the champagne arrived, and the conversation took a more serious turn.

"So tell me, dearest, what is a beautiful woman like you doing living as a pirate?"

So he did know her then. Not a big surprise, all things considered, as she _was_ a Straw Hat. The entire crew was known around the world, even those of them with smaller bounties like hers. Perhaps he was attracted by the provocative pose on her wanted poster?

She pushed a silky orange lock behind her ear; a move she knew usually had a strong effect on the opposite sex, and chuckled coyly. It was a low, husky sound that she had practiced for a long time before perfecting. It made men swoon.

Before she could answer verbally, though, the man spoke again,

"My lady, I find myself in need of your skills".

Ah, so he had heard of her abilities. It was unlikely that he was going to ask for her to be his navigator, as it wasn't widely known that she was one of the best navigators on the Grand Line. There was also no way that he thought her captain would allow her to run off with some other people and become their navigator (not that she'd allow it, either). So maybe her control over the weather? She couldn't really think of how a rich Earl could profit from those either, though.

That left stealing. He had probably heard of her conquests while she was still forced to work for that bastard Arlong. Or perhaps he had simply extrapolated from her bounty name, 'Cat Burglar'. Either way, he'd be correct in his assessment of her skills. She was a master of deception and a thief like no other. There were very few things she couldn't steal if she truly set her mind to it.

However she didn't really steal for anyone other than her crew or herself right now. She didn't particularly feel comfortable working for someone else, either. The only person she answered to was Luffy. And she was a pirate now, not a thief.

"I am ready to give you a tenth of my fortune in exchange for a small favor".

 _Of course, there are exceptions to every rule~. What's the harm in doing someone a favor? I'm helping others! This is generosity! I'm being kind! How can I just refuse a kind, fragile old man a small favor? The world needs more generous people like me, really._

Composing her face so that her beri eyes were no longer quite so obvious, Nami guessed,

"You want me to steal something?"

"Yes."

The old man paused, taking a sip from the obnoxiously expensive champagne.

"I want you to steal your captain's life".

The elation Nami was feeling died a quick and brutal death.

"You want me to kill Luffy?"

Apparently not sensing the shift in mood, the noble elaborated, "Or capture him, but I figure that's more difficult. Just bring his body to me".

This decrepit old man thought that she'd kill her captain? For some _money?_

 _How dare he?!_ She snarled internally. She understood that, had he researched her past, he might've thought there was a precedent for that. She had technically been part of Arlong's crew at one point, after all, and then aided in beating him.

But that had nothing to do with her current situation. She had despised Arlong, a fiery hatred that had encompassed the entirety of her being before she had met the StrawHats, and Luffy… Luffy… there were no words to describe how she felt about Luffy. Love seemed too paltry, too cheap a word to describe how she felt about him. He was her family, her savior, her joy, her leader, her purpose. He had saved her from hell, and continuously gave her heaven every day that he allowed her to stand by him.

She couldn't imagine life without Luffy.

The shine of the old noble's golden watch, previously so tantalizing and endearing, now seemed to further insult her. _As if I would ever betray Luffy for gold! As if I would ever betray Luffy for ANYTHING!_

Nami felt the champagne glass crack under the force of her grip. Taking a discrete, calming breath, and a large gulp of the champagne, she forced herself to relax.

She smiled prettily.

"Well then, I'll need to know the details in order to leave him with you".

The man would pay for questioning her loyalty to Luffy, ridiculously wealthy or not.

She would not allow this insult to pass.

By the end of the conversation, her smile was so beautiful and blinding that it distracted several of the male customers still in the café. Had they known her better, they'd have known that that smile meant they should run for the hills.

As fast and as far as their legs could possibly take them.

* * *

Nami huffed and puffed under the weight on her back as she made her way to the Thousand Sunny.

She really needed some form of buzzer to call Sanji and Zoro for her to use them as pack mules. Maybe she could ask Usopp to invent one?

As she finally reached the deck, she dropped the bag she was holding. It landed with a loud thud on the grass.

"Welcome back, Nami", Robin greeted. Ah, she was a sight for sore eyes.

Nami was distracted from the peaceful aura Robin exuded by Usopp's shout.

"O-Oi. Nami. What is that? Is that what I think it is?" The sniper asked.

Nami opened the large bag, a proud look on her face. Inside the bag, much to everyone's surprise (but not complete shock as this was Nami, after all), was millions worth of gold. There were diamonds, rubies, precious stones of all kinds, chalices made out of pure gold, jewel-encrusted forks and knives, and even a gold chandelier.

"Nami-chwaaaaaan! All this gold is wonderful but it is nothing compared to your radiance!"

"Greedy woman".

"Shishishishi! We can buy a lot of meat with this!"

"Yohohoho! Wondeful, Nami-san! In commemoration of this, can I see your panties?" This was rewarded with a swift kick.

"SUUUUUPPPPEEERRR! You did a good job stealing this, girl!"

"Greedy! Nami is so scary!"

"How did you even get all of this here? That looks super heavy!" Usopp exclaimed.

Nami stroke a pose, as though revealing a super secret ability.

"It's the power of money!"

The crew collectively sweatdropped (except for Robin and Luffy, of course).

Before anyone could reply to that, Nami pointed an imperious finger at the monster trio and ordered,

"There are more bags on the dock! Zoro! Sanji! Luffy! Bring them up here!"

After some angry shouting from Zoro, professions of ardent love and devotion from Sanji, and laughter from Luffy, the trio dutifully went down and effortlessly brought all 23 bags of gold and luxury items aboard.

They then proceeded to celebrate Nami's haul in true Straw Hat style.

* * *

"Oi, Nami".

Nami looked to find Usopp sitting standing next to her. She was sitting next to Robin, overlooking Luffy, Chopper, and Franky dancing to Brooke's music. Zoro was sleeping at the edge of the ship while Sanji was in the kitchen preparing more food.

"Where did you even get this much money?"

It was said as a joke, mostly. Out of curiosity, no doubt. After all, it was a ridiculously large amount of money that Nami had brought this time.

Despite the levity of the question, Nami paused, looking at Usopp in the eyes. The air became more serious, and Nami could feel Robin shift to attention beside her.

"Took it from someone who insulted me".

Robin and Usopp immediately understood. No one was allowed to question their loyalty to their captain.

"Does he know better now?"

Nami giggled.

"Oh yes, I'm sure he has most definitely learned".

Really, that noble shouldn't have told her where his house was when she asked, or how to get in undetected should she come back with a supposed human body. Pure idiocy, that. Not that not telling her those things would've stopped her from invading his house in the middle of the night, stealing all of his valuables, and… _punishing_ him. But he did make her job much easier, and over expensive champagne, too.

Most of all, though, the noble shouldn't have doubted her devotion to her captain.

Well, she wouldn't think about him or his insult any longer.

After all, no one would hear from him ever again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Left the ending a bit ambiguous. Interpret wether or not the noble died or was simply left broke and broken (unable to speak anymore) as you will. Be sure to tell me what you think, and whom you want to hear from next!


	6. On Cowards and Slingshots

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece.

 **A/N** : Sorry for the wait! Classes have started again, so writing has become a bit harder. In compensation, Usopp's chapter is much longer than the norm!

A big thanks to all of those that have favorited/followed this story and an extra big thanks to those that have reviewed! I read all of your reviews and they make me very happy!

Usopp felt like he had to have a story in present tense. He kept nagging at me, so I finally agreed.

* * *

Usopp is a coward.

Well, not really.

If one were to ask an average person what they think of Usopp (or Sogeking, or "God" Usopp), they'd probably say he's very brave. Perhaps even a brave warrior of the sea.

After all…

He befriended giants.

He shot down the flag of the World Government.

He took out the evil little girl that had turned half of Dressrosa's population into toys.

He aided in saving several countries.

He helped defy a god.

He follows Straw Hat Luffy. Enough said.

To any ordinary person, these would guarantee that someone be viewed as a brave warrior of the sea.

But Usopp is part of the Straw Hats, and there are so many inhumanely powerful and fearless monsters in that crew that perceptions of what is brave and what is cowardly are completely skewed.

There are crew members that chuckle elegantly at the face of danger, that think of how to prepare dinner when defeating sea kings, that grin savagely at the thought of a fight to the death, that have no sense of logic or common sense and actually legitimately – no, _really,_ I'm not lying this time – might not even be mortal.

So Usopp's fear of lava, for example, is outside the norm.

So is his fear of the yonko.

And the World Government.

And new and distinctly ominous-sounding islands.

And because of these fears and Usopp's admittedly rather comical reaction to them, he is often called cowardly by his crew, mostly Zoro, as he latches onto said swordsman's leg and begs him not to leave him and to protect him from the imminent dangers.

He's definitely not the bravest of the Straw Hats, and so in comparison he's often seen as cowardly.

Usopp wouldn't have it any other way.

Of course, it's not like the others view him as a coward.

They all rely on him, after all, even before the 2-year training trip where he gained muscles and perfected his sniping skills. And so if he is called a coward he knows they don't truly mean it.

Despite his surge in strength, he still often _acts_ like a coward though, so he can't really blame people for calling him that.

Anyway, the point of this tangent being that Usopp doesn't really react to being called a coward anymore. Rather, he is so used to it, it often doesn't even register.

So call him a coward as much as you like.

There is only one thing you have to avoid calling him.

* * *

"Coward!"

The pirate calling him names is so big Usopp thinks for a second he might have some long past giant heritage. And then he thinks the pirate might have some bear or mink heritage as well because all that hair _all over his overly exposed body_ is not normal in perfectly human humans. Not that he's one to discriminate. He's just pointing things out. Whatever part isn't covered in hair is covered in tattoos and scars. The tattoo Usopp can't help staring at is the one with the heart, surrounded by a ribbon that says "Defiler and Murderer" in beautiful cursive.

All in all, a very intimidating pirate.

Usopp feels rather fearful.

Upon seeing that there are twenty more tough-looking guys surrounding him, Usopp gives a high-pitched shriek and starts trembling in fear.

There's nowhere for him to run, nowhere for him to hide, no Straw Hat around to defend him (or even just give him confidence, he always feels 100 times braver when Luffy's around).

And so he's stuck alone with these ugly, tough-looking pirates.

He wonders how he even got into this situation. These kinds of things usually happen to Zoro or Sanji or even Luffy. And then one of the monster trio would proceed to beat up the surrounding aggressors until said aggressors became unrecognizable to their own mothers and learned that messing with the Straw Hats was a _bad idea_.

But Usopp had gone off on his own today to buy materials for his newest inventions. He had been intensely evaluating a rare type of rock that could be made into a powder that would paralyze the enemy for up to five minutes. Ways to use the rock in his inventions filtered through his mind at dizzying speeds. And when he was in his inventor mode, his super keen legendary – Chopper, it's seriously COOL - danger-sensor was turned off. So Usopp didn't notice when a gang of twenty pirates approached from behind, making all others on the street flee for their lives.

And so here he is, being called a "coward" by the pirates in question.

"Fucking coward!"

"Ugly ass shit. Is that nose even human?"

"Bet that all of your bounty was just based off lies, wasn't it? That's the only thing you're good at, eh?"

He's appropriately trembling, and rather confused by the fact that they haven't asked him to do anything and haven't started beating him up. They're just trying to insult him.

He almost laughs.

It'll take much more than that for him to feel insulted.

Usopp pauses. Do they look like they're waiting for something?

And he's right. He sees the sea of tough-looking pirates part for one man (who comes with 30 more freaking intimidating pirates, just his luck. Usopp's crying anime tears by this point). The man doesn't look anything like the rest of the pirates – no giant-like height, no extra hair, no tattoos or scars in sight. He's wearing expensive clothes in red and black and has silky black hair that reaches down to his waist. He's got a shiny belt, and two deadly-looking guns attached to it.

The crowd of pirates is silenced as the new guy (probably the captain) opens his mouth.

"Now, now…"

And if he doesn't dislike the guy for being associated with the gang of mean intimidating pirates, then he automatically dislikes him now for his slimy voice. Usopp feels unclean just listening to it.

"There's no need for name-calling here. I'm sure we can all enter an agreement."

Usopp may be a coward (or may not, no one is quite sure), but he isn't stupid. This is the most painfully obvious good marine – bad marine forced arrangement he has ever seen. _If they're going to follow that model, then what happened to there only being one bad marine? Why are there 50 bad marines now and only one supposedly good marine?! That's not even good! That's sooooooo unfair._

The slimy voice wakes him from his thoughts.

"We've heard there was conflict with your captain."

Usopp immediately tenses. That is not something he likes talking about. He isn't proud of his words or his actions of the time. But he apologized to Luffy (bowed down to him, really, which was the only acceptable course of action), and Luffy forgave him and allowed him to rejoin the crew.

He sometimes has nightmares where he doesn't bow to Luffy or Luffy refuses to take him back and he never sees his captain or his crew ever again. He'll be left behind, stranded on an island, safe and secure and perhaps eventually captain of his own ship and crew, but with no joy, no purpose, no _Luffy_ in his life. He usually wakes up gasping and crying and shivering when he has those, Luffy's name at the tip of his tongue, ready to beg his captain to let him stay all over again.

 _Damn. If people are going to remember that incident then I'm going to have to be even more obvious about how happy I am with Luffy as my captain. Can't have people doubting my loyalty._

Of course, that's exactly what the captain does.

"And what if we gave you the opportunity to get rid of him?"

 _What._

Usopp stops trembling.

The idiot in front of him assumes that that means he's interested.

"You won't have to do anything drastic, of course. Wouldn't want you to risk your life. Just give us some information on him. His weaknesses, his habits, the foods he eats, the easiest ways to kill him, you know the drill.

"Personally, I suggest you agree, or you might face some…"

Suddenly, a bullet is ingrained in the wall next to Usopp's head.

Usopp doesn't flinch.

"…Unfortunate circumstances."

Usopp starts trembling again, and the enemy captain thinks it's because he's scared of him and his crew. The captain can't help but chuckle at his luck. He and his crew managed to isolate who was probably the most cowardly, and therefore the most easily manipulated, member of the Straw Hat crew. Threatening the coward and finding information on Straw Hat Luffy would be easy! Honestly, he's surprised the smiling straw-hatted powerhouse hasn't already been killed with weak-minded people like this one on his crew.

Just one look from the fearsome pirates makes the coward quake in his boots!

What the enemy captain doesn't know is that Usopp is no longer trembling in fear, but rather in utter and inescapable fury.

Usopp's teeth are gnashing together with such force it's surprising his jaw hasn't broken. His nails are digging into the skin of his palms painfully, even as his hand instinctively inches closer to his slingshot. His muscles are tensed, as though ready to propel himself forward and fight all 50 of the pirates that dared ask him to betray his captain.

In defense of the mistaken captain, these are all signs that can be interpreted as reactions to fear. A look at Usopp face, however, would dispel all doubt that this is not the reaction of a fearful weakling, but rather that of an enraged warrior.

Unfortunately for the pirates, Usopp has his head down and his face is hidden by shadows. Were it not the case, they would have known not to continue talking.

"Shouldn't be too hard for you, right? I'm sure you've thought about doing it before-"

"That's enough. You've insulted me enough."

Usopp's voice is low and threatening, but the captain still doesn't notice.

"What? If you mean what the boys were saying before, that was just-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR BOYS WERE SAYING BEFORE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU CALL ME A COWARD, AN IDIOT, A LIAR! I DON'T GIVE 2 SHITS ABOUT THAT!"

Usopp's head snaps back up, and all of the 50 pirates freeze at the sight. The sniper's eyes are dilated and promise death and destruction, his face contorted in a terrifying snarl. The pirates can't believe that this man is the same as the one they were cowing into submission a few minutes prior.

Their captain fares even worse, as he is the focus of Usopp's fury.

The oppressive force of Usopp's rage bears down upon him, and it is all he can do to not fall to his knees in the face of such overwhelming anger. He feels his knees tremble and a small voice in his head can't help but think of the irony at this reversal of roles.

"BUT YOU… _YOU_ CALL ME _DISLOYAL_. YOU _DARED_ TO SUGGEST I WOULD BETRAY MY CAPTAIN! BETRAY _LUFFY_!"

Usopp pants, out of breath, before starting up again.

"YOU THINK THREATENING ME WILL MAKE ME BETRAY LUFFY? YOU THINK SCARING ME WILL MAKE ME BETRAY LUFFY? YOU COULD KILL ME AND I STILL WOULDN'T BETRAY HIM! I'D GLADLY FOLLOW HIM INTO _HELL!_ HE'S THE ONE WHO GAVE ME PURPOSE, WHO GAVE ME A FAMILY, WHO GAVE ME A DREAM! AND YOU DARE SAY THAT I WOULD BETRAY HIM? THAT I AM _DISLOYAL?!_ "

The pirates are still frozen in place by the depth of the emotion displayed before them. All they can do is watch in awed horror as the man they had mocked transforms in the face of an insult to his loyalty to his captain.

Terrified, they watch as the sniper visibly forces himself to calm down, a steely glint entering his eyes.

"Now you will pay for it."

"S-Stop!"

The pirate captain is obviously not completely immobilized like the rest of his crew, and now shakily stands in front of Usopp, gun pointed at the Straw Hat.

Usopp is almost amused by the pathetic sight.

"Oh? You think you can shoot your gun before I shoot you?"

He arches one eyebrow and fills his tone with as much condescension as possible. He thinks he sounds a bit like Robin. Suddenly, Usopp's slingshot is out and loaded, aimed directly at the pirate captain's eyes.

"O-Of course. Th-There's no way a _slingshot_ is faster than a bullet!"

"Well then," Usopp smirks. There's a punishing glint in his eyes that frightens the pirate captain. "Let's try it, shall we?"

Two shots fire.

* * *

When Usopp gets back to the Thousand Sunny, his teeth hurt from being clenched so hard and his fists are still balled in frustration that people would think him disloyal to Luffy.

He doesn't arrive at the ship with his usual grand exclamations and fanfare. Instead, he's quiet in his sullenness, opting to stand alone near the edge of the Sunny, overlooking the vast ocean and wondering if people would still think him disloyal had he not gone against Luffy all those years ago.

Of course, one can't appropriately wallow in their negative emotions when on the Straw Hat ship, so he's soon interrupted.

"Oi! Usopp!"

He turns to find the subject of his thoughts sitting on his customary special seat, the Sunny's Lion Head.

"Come over here! Shishishi!"

Luffy's charisma is undeniable, and although Usopp doesn't really feel like laughing with the straw hat wearing man right now, he finds himself heading towards the Lion Head anyway. Besides, that sounded distinctly like an order, and none of the Straw Hat Pirates disobeyed a _true_ order issued from their captain.

When he finally arrives at the Lion Head, he's caught off guard by what an inspiring picture Luffy makes, sitting atop the Lion's Head, wind blowing through his hair, eyes closed in a rare moment of serenity. He looks wise and powerful at this moment, and the sniper can't help but stare. It crosses Usopp's mind that Luffy is one of the few people that is truly at peace with who he is as a person.

He is so caught up in his thoughts that he is entirely unprepared when soulful dark brown eyes open and turn to look at him.

He almost sympathizes with the pirates they have faced so far. Luffy's gaze is a heady thing. He feels as though he is being judged, as though his soul is being weighed. He almost feels hypnotized, or drunk. He can't look away.

Finally, Luffy opens his mouth.

"I trust you."

Usopp isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Luffy's instinct sure is scary, sometimes. Without Usopp even having to say anything, his captain somehow manages to say exactly the right thing to shake him out of his depression. With those three simple words, Usopp feels all of his worries evaporate. What does he care what others think? Their opinions of him don't affect how he feels about his captain. He shouldn't get so depressed over whether or not they think he's disloyal. He knows he is as fervently loyal as all the other Straw Hats. As long as Luffy believes in him, that is enough. It will always be enough.

Of course, that does not mean that those who question his loyalty in the future will go unpunished.

* * *

"So what was with the scary face you were making when you got back?"

Usopp sighs. He figured it was just a matter of time before Nami asked. At least she managed to wait until most others had retreated back to their rooms after a night of singing and dancing.

"Oh… Someone insulted me."

Something hard and frightening enters Nami's eyes, and Usopp knows she understands.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it until finally Luffy talked to me about it. I feel good now."

He smiles to prove his point, and something tense leaks out of Nami. He knows that the entire crew is aware of how deeply he regrets his altercation with Luffy over the Merry. They know that the memory is often painful to him, and he wouldn't be surprised if they knew about his recurring nightmares about the incident. It's gotten better over the years, he's managed to put it behind him with the knowledge that Luffy and the others accept him. None of his nakama appreciate others reminding him of it.

"Good. The people who can't see how loyal you are to Luffy are just idiots. Ignore them."

Usopp laughs. Nami's special brand of comfort is so typical of her, he can't help himself.

"Thanks," He smiles a small, sincere smile to Nami. Then his smile morphs into a sadistic smirk. "I don't think these idiots will be able to see much of anything in the future, though."

* * *

The pirate crew is blinded for life.

The last thing any of them saw was a terrifying long-nosed man with a readied slingshot followed by a bright flash.

When asked how an entire crew was blinded all at once, all they can say is that they doubted the loyalty of one of the Straw Hats and paid for it.

"We called him a coward," they say. "We should've stopped there. We never should have called him disloyal."

* * *

 **A/N:** Please be sure to leave a review with your thoughts/suggestions/flights of fancy! I always love reading them and they often inspire future chapters.


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